These muffins are perfect for Christmas. They're chockful of festive ingredients and flavors: Fresh cranberries, zucchini, apples, orange zest ... top with a little orange-vanilla glaze and add red and green sprinkles and you've got just the thing for Christmas morning.
Ingredients
Muffins
2cupsall-purpose flouror sub 1 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the white
1cupquick-cooking oats
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1/4teaspoonground cloves
1/4teaspoonground nutmeg
1cupbuttermilk*
2/3cupapplesauce
1/2cupwhite sugar
1/2cuppacked brown sugar
1/3cupcanola 0r vegetable oil
1egg
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1teaspoonorange zest
1cupfresh or frozenand then thawed cranberries, cut in half
1cupdiced tart applelike Granny Smith
1 1/2cupsgrated zucchini
Vanilla-Orange Glaze
1 1/4cuppowdered sugar
1/4teaspoonvanilla extract
1/2teaspoonorange zest
1tablespoonmilk
1tablespoonfresh squeezed orange juice
Sprinklesif desired
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Line 15 standard muffin cups with cupcake liners, or grease them.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour(s), oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, applesauce, sugar, brown sugar, canola or vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the cranberries, apple, and zucchini.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk together just until incorporated.
Divide between 15 or so muffin cups - approximately a scant 1/2 cup each.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.
Line the counter with a couple of paper towels, and place a wire rack on top. Once the muffins are cool enough to touch, move them to a wire rack.
Allow the muffins to cool to room temperature, or close - about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the glaze. Simply whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest, milk and orange juice together until it's glaze consistency.
Drizzle the glaze over the top of the muffins. If desired, top with sprinkles while the glaze is still wet (c'mon! It's Christmas! Go for it!)